Be the peace you wish to be. (Martin Luther King)
“There’s a police car in the parking lot. With its lights on,” someone in our spiritual group calls.
No sirens. Nevertheless, I’m jolted from the sweetness of our gathering.
I see a young man with dark skin and long hair. He hides beside a parked car. He runs next to the beige walls of a church and squats down, then runs again. I don’t know what happened, or why he hides.
With no chaos, no noise, and no gunfire, the police drive away. With the young man inside the car. I hear nothing of a forced encounter. I don’t see the capture at all. The beginning or end of a story. I see part of a scene from a silent play in progress. No ticket to follow its progress.
Later, the moment replays in my mind. And heart. May peace and justice meet without bias. May no violence be a sign of a reasonable outcome.
I recall simpler situations. The lady in front of me in the checkout line at the grocery. She’s uptight over the way a young man bags. I have her pegged. Yet, this could be just a sideways reaction on a difficult day. Even if my assessment is accurate, does it need to alter who I am?
Be the peace you wish to be. Okay, Dr. King. If you can do it, anyone can.
terrypetersen 